For the last many years, EA Sports has essentially held a monopoly on the NFL gaming market with their Madden series, due to their exclusively agreement with the NFL. However, it appears that someone else is going to be getting a chance with the license, for mobile development.
The NFL Players Association has opened up a contest with the prize being the ability to use “NFLPI trademarks, as well as names, likenesses, uniform numbers, photographs, voices, replica signatures, and biographical information of active NFL players” in a mobile game. This contest is open to both independent developers and big gaming studios, so it will be interesting who comes out on top in the end. The contest will run from March 20 though April 20, so the turnaround is certainly pretty quick.
Three finalists will then be chosen, who will then pitch their idea to the NFL Players Association Executive Board that will make the final decision. The decisions will be based on “entertainment value, visual design, technology, controls, originality, and ability to effectively market the game, among other factors.” If you are interested, more details and the submission form can be found right here.
